THE QUIET HOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 30 September 1933, Page 2

THE QUIET HOUR

(Contributed for the Hawera Ministers’ Association.) (By Adjutant Mackenzie,)

THE MAKING OF MEN “That t-lie man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.''—2 Timothy, 3 : 17. Some people do not like to admit their age—they cannot endure the thought that they are growing older. Gut our only concern need be to put so much true and beautiful living into every passing year that -the coming of a new birthday shall never fret us. We should be truly ashamed of any birthday, however, which marks an empty year, with nothing worth while lii it to show that we have lived. The one real business of life is the, lhaking of men. St. Paul tells us this m a noble passage in which lie is speaking of Christ’s work after His ascension. He gave some to be aposties, some prophets, some pastors and teachers. The purpose of all this giving ot Divinely endowed ministers was tor the perfecting of saints, unt< the work of ministering till we all attain unto a full-grown man. Thus the mission, of the church is the making of men. Its ordinances and ministrations are',for our perfecting.

it is for this last that we are to read the Scriptures. The Bible shows lis God. It Keeps ever before us the li.be of Jesus 'Christ, who was the manifestation of God. It makes known to us the will of God. It keeps us familiar with the true standards ana ideals of living. It is for this also that we are to pray Prayer lifts us up into communion with God and kindles longings and aspirations in our hearts. It brings Heaven down into our earthly lives and thus helps us toward our growth. Perfection seems beyond our reach, but every day should bring us a little nearer to it. Another part of the work of the church is to train us in the work of ministering. To minister is to Serve. Wei are to learn to be always doing good. There are human needs and sorrows about us continually and part of our business in this world is to be helpers of need and comforters of sorrow, rib man is grow-

ing toward full manhood who is not becoming more sympathetic toward alt human conditions and more helpful toward all who are weak or in want. It is important that Christians shall be honest, true, just and upright, and patriotic. But they may be all this and yet not reach up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ in loving and serving others. Some pedple become discouraged because they, seem to bo effecting so little in impressing or influencing others, but ofttimes the things which appear to us so small are really of greatest value in the end. He who gives but the faintest touch of beauty to another life does something which will last forever; arid ho who strives to do good, though he seem to fail, is rewarded. Christ takes us first as children, with our life immature, undeveloped, imperfect, hut His work in us will not be

complete until we have become men, strong, tall, noble, full-grown riieri. The .sculptor, before he strikes A blow upon his marble, has in mind a vision of what lie means to make arid every stroke is toward the fashioning of the stone, into the beauty of liis thought. God likewise has a plan for every life. It is never haphazard work that He does at any point. From first to last He seeks to bring the man in xis up to the grace, strength and nobleness of full-grown manhood This making of- men is not all done

ill church services, at prayer meetings, at communions, or in places of devotion. Christ is making men all the while in their Jibhles, out in thenplaces of toil and struggle. The business of the carpenter, we should say, is to make the things carpenters usually make. But in Christ’s purpose it is the making of a man. The business of the farmer is to till his soil and gather good harvests. But God’s higher thought for the farmer in all his work is the making of a man. Tli6 merchant supposes he is conducting his business for the convenience of his patrons and for His own enriching. But if, meanwhile, he is not himself being built up in strength and beauty of character, not growing toward Christly manhood, he is not entirely successful, he is not quite reaching God’s thought for him, however prosperous ho may be in a commercial way.

The same is true of all kinds ot calling and occupation. A man was not thought about in God’s plans and then made, endowed with gifts and faculties, primarily that he might be a builder, erecting so many houses in his lifetime, or a painter, ornamenting a certain number of buildings, or an artist putting on canvas noble pictures which shall win him fame and give pleasure and enobling of mind and heart to those who look at them. A man’s carpentering, his building, his painting, his farming, his work as an artist, as a teacher, as a merchant, as a seaman, all the things he does among men are only incidents in the real work of liis life—his growing into ideal character.

Religious teachers speak of certain exercises—prayer, Bible reading, acts of devotion, the sacrament as “means of grace” ; acts of worship in which we receive Divine blessing and are helped in spiritual growth. We may add to this list of means of grace all life’s affairs and occupations. It is in these that we have the opportunity of applying the truths and principles we learn in the Holy Scriptures and of putting in practice the lessons we are taught by the Great Teacher. All of what we. call our secular life is really a sort of scaffolding on which we work day after day, while we are rearing, beautifying and last finishing within the temple of our own life and character.

The personal experiences of life are also to be thought of as all belonging to the processes in which God is at work on us, training and disciplining us into full-grown men. Many have sorrows, sufferings, losses and distresses in their common days Some find life very hard. It may be sickness with its pain and depression. It may be bereavement, which brings loneliness and sorrow. It may be loss of money which sweeps away the earnings of years and leaves want. It may be the failure of friendships which have not proved true, making the heart sore and empty. Some people are heard asking why it is that they must suffer so if God really loves them. We may not try to answer the Questions, for we may not attempt to speak for God. But we may always say, “God is making us.” We should be able to submit our lives to the Divinet will and discipline, cheerfully and implicitly, however painful it may be for us. Many people seem never to think of themselves as being thus in the process of making. They live aimlessly, without a purpose. We should be done forever with indolence or haphazardness in our living.

We should learn to work with God iii His purpose for us in every day’s work and experience, seeking to he'en mo ever somewhat better men, to come a little nearer to the full-grown manhood which is Christ’s final vision for us.

If we grasp the truth that the purpose of God for us in all our experiences is the making of us it will greatly simplify our life. It will make plain 'to us the meaning of many things which now trouble and perplex us. It will give us an inspiring thought concerning the meaning of our common work, our business, our occupation and calling. It will give a. unity to the meaning of all our experiences. None of them are accidental. They are not derelicts drifting into our lives and harming or destroying us, as the derelicts in the sea harm or wreck vessels in their course. Whatever may be the source of the hard things, they are taken into the hands of Christ and do their part in the making of us. Nothing can harm us if we believe in Christ and are faithful to Him.